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Testing for HIV Urged - Infections Remain Undiagnosed

26 November 2010

Figures released today (Friday 26 November) by the Health Protection Agency, ahead of World Aids Day on 1 December, show that a total of 391 people in Yorkshire and the Humber were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2009 – 242 men and 149 women.


Although this represents the second year-on-year decline in the number of new diagnoses in the region, evidence from national experts at the HPA suggests that there has been no decline in the overall number of undiagnosed infections in the past decade and health professionals in Yorkshire and the Humber are urging those people most at risk to come forward for testing.
The figures are outlined in the HPA's annual HIV Report released today. The report shows that the number of people living with HIV in the UK reached an estimated 86,500 in 2009, but a quarter - almost 21,000 - were unaware of their infection. The report also found that over half of people newly diagnosed in 2009 - 3,450 - were diagnosed late, after the stage when treatment should have started.

Dr Stephen Morton, Regional Director for the Health Protection Agency in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "Whist the figures indicate that rates of HIV are lower in our region when compared to most other areas of the UK, we're very concerned that a large number of people in our region remain unaware of their HIV status and that national figures show half of all newly diagnosed people are being diagnosed late.

"We would like to see more people in our region being tested for HIV. This is crucial to reduce the number of people who are unaware of their HIV status and to increase the chances of early diagnosis, when treatment has a better chance of being successful."

Regional Director for Public Health at NHS Yorkshire and the Humber, Paul Johnstone, said: "The statistics show us that those who are most at risk of HIV are men who have sex with men and black Africans living in this country. It is extremely important that people in these groups are tested. If a person has HIV it is vital that they know they have it, this will mean they are less likely to pass it on to their partner. The best way to protect yourself against HIV and any other sexually transmitted disease is by using a condom."

As well as monitoring early diagnosis, the HPA has developed measures to evaluate the quality of treatment and care HIV patients receive. Close monitoring of those undergoing treatment in parts of the UK where rates are highest found that over 90 per cent of patients had an undetectable viral load within a year as well as a restored immune system. This not only confirms that treatments are effective for the patient but that the chance of transmitting the virus is greatly reduced.    

Dr Morton added: "Thanks to the development of anti-retroviral treatments and access to world class health care through the NHS, HIV is a manageable illness for the vast majority of people diagnosed."

Ends 

Notes to Editors

1. New HIV diagnoses in the United Kingdom, UK and Yorkshire and the Humber

   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009
 UK 7,982  7,592  7,520  7,388  6,630
 Yorkshire and the Humber  504  438  468  464  391

 

2.      People with newly diagnosed HIV infection in 2009, Yorkshire and the Humber

  • 236 (60%) new HIV diagnoses were acquired heterosexually. Of this total, 49 (21%) acquired their infection in the UK – the majority of the remaining infections are thought to have been acquired in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • 117 (30%) new HIV diagnoses were acquired by men who have sex with men. 86 (74%) of these acquired their infection in the UK.
  • 6 (2%) of new diagnoses were acquired through injecting drug use.

 

3.      HIV in the UK report - the Health Protection Agency’s ‘HIV in the United Kingdom: 2010 report’ will be available on the HPA’s website from Friday 26 November. Adjustments have been made to some of the detailed figures provided above to take into account missing information relating to the cases reported.

 

4.      Estimating undiagnosed HIV infections - statistical modelling frameworks and techniques are applied to combine different surveillance and survey data to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of HIV in the population. Further details of the methodology and data sources employed are available from Presanis et al Insights into the rise in HIV infections, 2001 to 2008: a Bayesian synthesis of prevalence evidence. AIDS 2010 24:2849-58. Or for more information about HIV prevalence visit: http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/HIV/OverallHIVPrevalence/

 

5.      Late diagnosis - adults diagnosed with a CD4 cell count of less than 350 (within 91 days of diagnosis) are defined as diagnosed ‘late’, adults diagnosed with a CD4 cell count of less than 200 are defined as diagnosed ‘very late’. For more information about late diagnosis, visit: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/Page/1201094588994?p=1201094588994

 

6.      Accessing HIV care in the UK in 2009

  • The number of people accessing care across the UK rose from 22,575 in 2000 to 65,319 in 2009 – including a 7% increase from 2008 when the figure was 61,110 
  • 78% of diagnosed HIV cases in the UK were receiving anti-retroviral therapy in 2009, up from 76% in 2008 and 70% in 2000.

Last reviewed: 8 December 2010